In the 80's I worked with an awesome couple of documentary film makers: Harry Marshall & Patrick McCreanor, and became involved as the composer on an ambitious tv series for Channel 4 based on the premise that "now we're becoming a less religious society, does creativity have any value?" So if for example Michael Angelo created the Sistine Chapel ceiling exalted by God .. would his art have had any value without divine influence?
We made four films and this one was based around a conversation about Elisabeth Frink's work. Together with Peter Shaffer & Peter Levi (Oxford Professor of Poetry) Harry & Patrick undertook a general exploration of many elements of Elisabeth's work, following her through a commissioning in Hong Kong to create what eventually became a series of works studying water buffalo.
Although the film is over 30 years old and some of the music production feels quite clunky to me now, I decided to put the film on RU-vid as it offers a wonderful insight for those who know little about Frink's work, which I find awe inspiring.
During the process of composing the score, I explored her notion of the "soul of animals". As a result around 16 minutes into the film, there's a short piece with a sonic palette and modus operandi, that became very much part of my oeuvre and although set here quite crudely, I have Liz to thank for setting me on a journey which led to the incorporation of these sorts of choral ideas with percussive, atonal and melodic orchestral elements in my work.
Other films in the series were based on the work of Iris Murdoch, John Tavener and Cecil Collins ... culminating in a film based at All Saints Church in Hampshire where Cecil was commissioned to create a huge stained glass piece for the Great West Window, in front of which Liz had created her "Head of Christ" and John wrote a choral piece for the dedication service. Truly uplifting stuff!
16 мар 2017
